Rev Nick Mottershead is on a mission to eradicate hygiene poverty and says it’s possible if communities work together.

The priest in charge of Holy Sepulchre London coordinates the City of London Hygiene Bank, which supports over 20,000 families in need of basic personal items such as toothpaste, deodorant, and shower gel.

In a new report, the charity In Kind Direct said nearly one in five UK adults is currently living in hygiene poverty, an increase of almost a million from last year. A quarter of those households have children.

Rev Nick said: “We’re seeing young people and their families and carers using washing up liquid to wash. We’re seeing them not being able to clean their teeth. Oral hygiene is a huge cause of missed school days. We’re seeing young people not wanting to go to after-school clubs because they’re already not feeling inclined to join in with activities. It impacts their friendship groups. It impacts their mental wellbeing.”

The hygiene bank doesn’t distribute directly but works with schools, agencies and charities because frontline workers know how best to reach families most in need. In the last five years, the City of London Hygiene Bank has donated 36 tonnes of products, with 11 tonnes already so far this year.

Rev Nick says many corporate businesses support the project as well as individuals. Items are packed into tote bags and given to schools and agencies. He says that in London alone three-quarters of a million people are living in poverty and that: “it can seem too big an issue, but I just say, let’s solve it. One toothbrush, one tote bag, one family, one school at a time. And we can do that when we decide we want to come together and do it.”

Many people accessing help from domestic abuse and disability charities also receive items from the hygiene bank, as well as those being supported by cancer charities. Rev Nick added:

“Whoever is escaping that crisis, they go there and they say, ‘Guess what? Somebody cares for you, and we want you not just to feel safe. We want you to feel dignity.’ And I hear that story again and again.”

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